Join us at ASBI, Wednesdays for an accessible and thought-provoking shiur. Snacks will be provided.

This January & February, community members pursuing degrees in academic Jewish studies will present on their areas of research.

January 13 with Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux
Religion and the 2016 Elections

January 20 with ASBI Intern Sarah Robinson
Answering to a Higher Authority: Courts of Appeal in American and Talmudic Law

February 3 with Tali Winkler
The People in the Books: the Personal Marks of Scribes and Book Owners

February 17 with Liane Marquis
The Big House: Capturing Divine Presence in the Temples of the Ancient Near East

February 24 with Rachel Renz
Why the Dead Sea Scrolls are Important

“History of the Torah” with Rabbi Wolkenfeld

March 2: From Sinai to the Talmud
March 16: The Rishonim
March 30: The Acharonim and Beyond

Join us for a special class with Rabbi Reuven Brand, founding Rosh Kollel of the Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago.

March 9: Faith During Crisis: Halakhah from the Holocaust

Rabbi Brand was a member of the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon at Yeshiva University, where he received his ordination from its affiliate, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Education and Administration and a B.A. in history from Yeshiva College. He has published several articles on Talmudic topics and edited three different volumes of Jewish scholarship. Rabbi Brand is a founder of Lman Achai, a student organization dedicated to the needs of Jews in Israel, including feeding the hungry and supporting victims of terror. He has served as Scholar-in-Residence and directed educational programs in communities across the United States, in Europe and Australia.

“Introduction to The Great Torah Scholars” with Rabbi Wolkenfeld

April 6: Malbim
April 13: Hatam Sofer
May 18: Nechama Leibowitz

“Halakhot of Lakeview” with Rabbi Wolkenfeld
7:00 PM at ASBI

June 1: Elevators on Shabbat
June 15: Sports on Shabbat
June 29: Common Kashrut Conundrums Part II

Join us for a special class on June 22 with visiting scholar
Shira Sapir.

Singular vs. Collective Prophecy and Communicating with God

Shira Sapir is a fellow at the Women's Institute for Halakhic Leadership at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem. She is a co-founder of Hashmi’eni, a database of female Torah scholars, and is a project manager at Beit Hillel.

Shira has been a teacher at the Ami Conversion Ulpan for the past five years. In this capacity she has become a versatile teacher of Judaic studies as well as an expert on the topic of conversion in the State of Israel. Today, Shira is teacher and coordinator of the English-speaking conversion course in Tel Aviv.

Shira is a graduate of Bet Morasha and Yeud and holds a Bachelors degree from Hebrew University in Hebrew language and Agadda Literature, as well as English linguistics. She is presently working on her Masters degree in Talmud at Bar Ilan University.